


Proposition

by orphan_account



Series: Chlodine AU Series [1]
Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, MMA Fighter AU, and thats the only inspo lol, chloe and elena are reporters, i know nothing about the mma scene so holy shit im gonna have to do a lot of research, i wanted to write nadine as a boxer but mma fighter fits so much better, nadine nate and sam are fighters, sully is a coach, this is gonna be gay if you dont know already
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-12 00:25:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13535748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Nadine "Don't Cross" Rossis the biggest MMA Fighter, male or female. Other than being undefeated, the public loves her due to the many charity-fights she holds, and how she donates her winnings to several causes around the world. Everyone wants to be her, but would hate to be in the ring with her. Chloe's always thought that the nice-guy act was a farce to gain attention.When she gets the chance to write a morally grey article about Nadine, she doesn't think much of it. But when Chloe finally meets the reputable fighter, she starts having second thoughts about publishing the story after all - and that has nothing to do with the way her name sounds coming from Nadine's mouth, or the way the younger's smile takes the reporter's breath away. No, not at all.





	Proposition

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure what this turned into but I hope someone enjoys !!

**_Question 5: What does a typical Friday night for you consist of?_ **

Chloe’s fingers hesitated, hovering over the keys. If she described an actual Friday night for her, that might turn people off more often than not. Most people wouldn’t find _”Most Fridays, I spend time photographing mildly-clothed sweaty people that run around in a small cage.”_ Actually, phrasing it that way might get the cops called on her.

“So, what is it this time?” Elena smirked, setting down her co-worker’s coffee next to the laptop. “Girls, guys...both?”

Chloe scoffed. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” The coffee was a little too bitter, but she didn’t pay for it, so she wasn’t going to complain. “I don’t know why I do this to myself.”

“Your habitual need to sign up for dating sites?”

Chloe spun the paper cup around in her hands, staring down at the small coffee stain on the lid. She nodded. 

Elena sighed, crossing her arms on the table. It was obvious that Chloe didn’t want to talk about it, so she decided to let it go - for now. “I heard that Nadine is hosting another charity fight next week. Nate and Sam were invited to participate.”

“Really?” Chloe looked up from the cup, eyebrows raised.

“...sort of. Victor was technically the one she talked to, with the extended invitation of bringing a few of his fighters along to watch.”

“Ah, that makes a lot more sense. Nadine hates those two.”

Elena chuckled. “Can you blame her? The one time they did get invited to a charity event, they practically destroyed the place.” She sighed, taking a sip from her cup. “You can’t take those two anywhere.”

“Do they have a fight coming up?”

“I don’t think so.” Elena drawled as she looked through her phone. “Not that I can see, at least.”

“If anyone would know, it would be you. They don’t tell me anything.” Chloe dismissed, leaning back in her chair.

“They don’t really tell me anything, either.” Elena grinned. “I just ask Victor.”

The two shared a laugh, fond yet somewhat annoying memories of the Drake brothers resurfacing. Chloe had been friends with Nathan since grade school. When the other kids picked on him for being scrawny and weak, she couldn’t keep quiet. Usually, she would have avoided getting in trouble, but something inside of her snapped - and before she realized what she was doing, her first connected with the face of a bully that was at least three years above them. 

To Chloe’s surprise, her dad hadn’t been mad at her. “I’m proud of you, kiddo. It’s always important to stand up for other people.” He grinned, ruffling her hair. “If you don’t, who else will? Just, uh, don’t always resort to violence immediately. Sometimes, the right words are all you need.” He paused. “And other times, when they’re not listening, they need a good sock in the jaw to unclog their ears.”

After that, Nathan and her had become incredibly close. When Nate introduced Chloe as “the girl who beat up that bully”, Sam had practically welcomed her into the family then and there. They went through an awkward phrase where Nathan had some rather obvious feelings for Chloe, and she had toyed with the idea. Needless to say, it didn’t work out.

Elena’s phone ringing tore Chloe from her thoughts. “Ah, speak of the devil.” She stood up. “I’m going to take this outside, okay? It’s a bit loud in here.”

Chloe smiled. “Take your time.”

It had been quite a while since Nadine had hosted a charity event. Rumor around the journalist-world was that she went back home to visit her parents, or to possibly train, but no public statement had ever been made by her or her coach. The public had definitely been less than pleased that she wasn’t at the latest major fight, which meant that her job became a hundred times more hectic.

Many reporting companies have been trying to get dirt on her, ever since she found her way into the spotlight a few years ago. Chloe knew of a few rivalry stations that were willing to pay a pretty penny to get even a speck of dirt on Nadine (probably more money than they should be willing to give, in her opinion). Unlike a lot of stories, it wasn’t enough to find a rumor and spin an article out of that. Plenty of reporters had tried, but her fans didn’t believe a single on. They needed hard evidence. It was a chance for lesser-known reporters to make their mark in the industry, an absolute bloodbath.

Chloe sighed, pulling up Nadine’s profile as she waited.

#### Nadine “Don’t Cross” Ross

**First Name:** Nadine

**Last Name:** Ross

**Nickname:** “Don’t Cross” Ross

**Weight:** 150 lbs (68 kg)

**Height:** 5’5” (165 cm)

**Hometown:** South Africa

**Fighting Styles:** Boxing, Combat Sambo, Judo

**Current Organization:** Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Nadine was known for keeping a lot of information private, like her hometown and personal social media - if she had any at all. She wasn’t the conventional fighter, with a huge persona and massive social following. It was intriguing, seeing a lion amongst lambs. But it made Chloe’s job more complicated.

“So,” Elena began as she sat back down in her seat, “news.” Chloe looked up from her laptop. “Apparently, Victor pulled some strings with Nadine’s coach, and got her to agree to letting Nate and Sam fight.”

Chloe frowned. “Did Nate and Sam want to fight at her event?”

“Victor didn’t say. But, get this: Nadine’s not participating. She’s just hosting it.”

“That would mean…” Chloe looked at the calendar on her computer. “She hasn’t fought since defending her lightweight championship title. That was almost a year ago.”

“Yeah.” Elena nodded. “It’s just...odd. She hasn’t been fighting that long, she’s never been knocked out. Most fighters need to fight at least twice a year to remain relevant, but her popularity only increases, even though she hasn’t stepped into the ring in a while.”

Chloe sighed, softly closing her laptop. “Well, no use dwelling on that, right? Maybe we’ll get to talk with her at the event next week. If she’s not fighting, that makes our job even easier.”

“Right.” Elena smiled. “Let’s do our best.”

  


* * *

Thanks to a perfectly-timed car malfunction, Chloe ended up being late. Really late. Luckily, Elena was waiting for her at the door, so she didn’t have to shove her way through hundreds of people to find where she needed to be. The stadium had a lounge area around the actually arena, and on the roof of the building. There were more reporters than Chloe would have liked, but she could definitely work around it.

“Nate has already fought. He did well, only taking two rounds to knock his opponent out. Sam is lined up to fight in a half hour.” Elena filled her in. “I haven’t seen Nadine at all tonight, but Victor said he would try and get us time with her.”

They finally stopped at an upstairs sitting room, the excitement of the fight muted by the walls. A large window to Chloe’s left allowed her to see the ring, which was currently empty.

“So, did you get the article written up okay?” Elena asked, her camera set on the table in between them.

Chloe nodded. “Yeah, it was rather easy as far as articles go.” Yesterday evening, their boss had called Chloe up, informing her of a picture he had come across. Although it was grainy, it appeared to be a low-res photo of two girls, one of them presumably Nadine, kissing in an old nightclub. All she had to do what spin a story around it, after doing a bit of digging. Part of her felt like it was wrong, especially if it wasn’t the fighter in the picture, and two poor girls were being exploited for her professional gain.

“I wonder who sent our boss that picture. It looks legit.”

“Most likely it is. No evidence of photoshop, as far as I could tell.” Chloe sighed. “I still have some details to iron out, but I’ll be submitting it in a couple days.”

A pair of fighters stepped into the ring, and the two reporters watched from their perch. The audience didn’t seem too into whatever was happening, so it must not have been any major fighters. They were rather entertaining though, which Chloe gave them credit for. Some fights were really boring.

“They’re not bad, eh?” Chloe whipped around to see Nadine behind her, leaning against one of the walls. “They’re new to the MMA world, so I wanted to give them some experience. Nothing at stake except their pride.”

Chloe was so used to seeing pictures, it was almost hard to believe that Nadine was actually in the same room. Her usually plaited hair was free from it's restraints, bouncing curls framing her face. She wore a tiny bit of makeup, just enough to accentuate the beautiful color of her eyes. The suit she wore fit her almost too well, showing off her long legs and broad shoulders. 

“I’m Elena Fisher, and this is my colleague Chloe Frazer.” Chloe watched as they shook hands, collecting herself enough to shake hands with Nadine.

“Victor spoke highly of you two.” The fighter smiled. “I don’t typically go out of my way to interact with reporters, but his word means a lot to me.”

“Well, we’ll have to thank him.” Chloe smiled, fiddling with her press pass.

Nadine looked between the two reporters, swirling her drink in it’s glass. “Would you two like to join me? There’s plenty of room in the lounge I’ve been staying in.” 

“We’d love to!” Chloe agreed, clearing her throat. Hopefully she didn't sound too eager.

She smiled. “Excellent.”

It was no surprise that Nadine wasn’t much of a talker. No matter what questions they asked, she always gave vague yet friendly answers; never giving away too much. If Chloe was being honest, she was quite distracted by Nadine’s smooth voice and commanding walk. 

“I’ve been wondering,” Elena began, “why you haven't been fighting lately.”

“No particular reason.” Nadine shrugged, but there was an odd lilt to her voice. “Once someone challenges my title, I’ll defend. I’ve simply had my sights on helping others recently.” 

The lounge was exactly what Chloe expected, plush couches and clear coffee tables arranged neatly around the space. The wall immediately to their right was entirely glass, making the ring perfectly visible. Victor was perched on one of the sofas, Nathan on his right.

“You made it.” Victor greeted.

“Just in time for Sam’s round.” Nathan smiled, ushering the two further into the room.

It was an oddly pleasant atmosphere, despite the strong feelings between the two fighters in the room. Chloe found herself invested in a conversation with Nadine, focused on making her laugh and seeing the other’s eyes crinkle when she smiled wide enough. 

“How long have you been reporting?” Nadine asked.

Chloe sighed. “Longer than I would like to admit. I wanted to be an author when I was younger. Travel the world and write about my experiences: all the people I would meet, the sights I’d see, the days and nights that I would pay to forget and kill to remember.” She laughed.

“You could still do it.” Nadine mused.

“I think it’s a little too late for that.”

“It’s never too late to do what makes you happy. Never know until you try.”

Chloe chuckled. “I’ve gotta pay the bills, love.”

Nadine took a sip of her drink, looking out at the ring. Sam had finished a while ago at this point, easily defeating his opponent in less than two rounds. Victor had escorted Elena and Nate down to the ring, leaving the other two alone. Chloe could barely make out Elena taking pictures of the current fight, the brothers lingering not too far away.

“You know,” Nadine began, setting her empty glass down. “I’ve been thinking about retiring.”

“What?” Chloe blanched.

“I know.” She gave a bitter laugh. “It’s a weird thing for a champion to say, right? But, in the past year, I’ve come to realize something.”

Chloe turned to Nadine, head tilted in curiosity. “What might that be?”

“That this world,” Nadine gestured to the arena, “as fascinating and thrilling as it may be, I don’t think I’m cut out for it. Nathan and Samuel, those two belong here. They thrive in the spotlight, where I go out of my way to avoid it.” She sighed. “I want my fans to remember me for the great fighter that I was, and for the things I accomplished. I want to go out on my terms, and not because some scandalous article ended my career.”

A sinking feeling formed in Chloe’s gut.

“I know it may be a selfish thought, but I don’t care if the whole world finds out my deepest secrets. I just...I don’t want to let my fans down. I want them to know it’s okay to back out of something when it becomes too much, that it’s okay to change your mind.” Nadine turned, locking eyes with Chloe. “Do I sound crazy?”

“A bit.” She smirked. “But who isn’t a little crazy?”

Nadine laughed, lightly smacking Chloe’s arm, causing her to laugh along with her. Maybe it was the alcohol in her system making her think weird things, but Chloe felt like she could die happy after seeing Nadine’s smiling face. Who knew that someone else’s joy could make you feel so full?

Once their laughter died, the two simply sat and looked at each other. It was weird. Chloe was supposed to be working, and Nadine was definitely supposed to be keeping up appearances, but neither of them seemed to care about any of that at the moment. It was like being a teenager again, falling quickly for the pretty girl with stars in her eyes and rainbows in her smile.

“Hey.” Chloe began. “I have an idea.”

“Oh really?” Nadine smiled. “I’m all ears.”

“I have to submit an article about you in three days to my boss. Why don’t I scrap the one I've already written and make your crazy dream come true?”

Nadine quirked an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

“I’ll give you the platform to go out the way you want,” Chloe smiled, “if you do something for me.”

“And what might that be?”

It was a risk, and she knew it. Was she reading the signs wrong? God, it really was like high school all over again, butterflies in the stomach and all. How long had it been since Chloe had been with a girl?

“You...go on a date with me.”

“You’re serious?”

Chloe smiled. “Never been more serious in my life.”

Nadine grinned, ducking her head down, hiding her face behind her curls. “Sure.” She lifted her face, pink dusting her cheeks. “I’ll go out with you.”

The next week was strange. She submitted what was probably the biggest article she had ever written along with her letter of resignation, which hadn’t flown well by her boss. Elena wasn't too happy to see her best friend go, but any disappointment vanished once she found out about Chloe’s date. She could only imagine the reactions Sam and Nate would have once they found out. But, that could wait. 

She was currently parked in front of Nadine’s house, fighting the nerves that fluttered around every inch of her skin. Eventually, she made her way to the front door, knocking before she could chicken out. Why was she so nervous? This definitely wasn’t the first time she had been out with a girl, so why did everything feel so different? 

Once the door opened, every anxiety and fear dissipated, and all she could do was smile. Nadine brushed her hands over the dress she was wearing, obviously just as nervous as Chloe had been. 

“I don’t usually wear stuff like this.” She explained. “Does it look weird…?”

Chloe reached for her hands, urging her to step down onto the front porch. “I don’t think you could look bad in anything.” She chuckled. “But no, you definitely do not look weird. You’re beautiful.”

Nadine blushed, an embarrassed smile taking over her features. “Shut up. We’re going to be late.”

“Yes ma’am.” Chloe chuckled, letting her date drag her towards the car.

The whole thing was scary - so much had changed in such a small amount of time. If someone had told her a few weeks ago that she would be going on a date with Nadine “Don’t Cross” Ross, she would have laughed in their face. Yet right now, as she listened to the ex-fighter talk fondly about her childhood back in Africa, she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. And when their fingers laced together, hands slotting almost perfectly against each other, she knew there was nowhere else she’d rather be.


End file.
